Chapter 18 Everyone, please don't consummate your marriage.

After Consort Su and Steward Cao left, the Heng Prince's Mansion became quiet. Jiang Fenghua went directly back to Lanyue Pavilion, while Su Tingwan was arranged to stay in the Sandalwood Courtyard in the West Courtyard.

At this moment, Xie Shang inexplicably caught up and asked Jiang Fenghua, "Is your foot feeling any better?"

Jiang Fenghua didn't expect Xie Shang to follow her to Lanyue Pavilion, after all, Su Tingwan had already entered the mansion.

She thought Xie Shang wouldn't marry Su Tingwan so quickly in this life, but she didn't expect that she still couldn't escape the fate of her previous life.

Su Tingwan entered the mansion on March 24th.

She gave a slight curtsy and said, "Much better."

Xie Shang clearly remembered that she walked very slowly, probably because she had not yet fully recovered. "The medicinal wine from the Imperial Hospital was very effective and worked very well."

"I know, I rubbed the medicinal wine on it so it doesn't hurt as much now, and I don't need anyone to help me walk anymore." Jiang Fenghua's tone was distant, but her eyes were gentle.

"You got burned today, didn't you?" Xie Shang asked her seemingly out of the blue.

Jiang Fenghua's eyes widened, and she quickly realized what was happening. She took the initiative to lift her sleeve, revealing her fair wrist, her slender fingers long and white, and her nails neatly trimmed.

These were the most beautiful hands he had ever seen.

She said gently, "I applied the ointment, and I'm fine now. It's just a little red, nothing serious. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."

"It's getting late. Your Highness has been traveling all day, and Consort Su must still be waiting for you. So, I won't keep you for tea."

He said urgently, "Thank you, I didn't expect it to cause such a commotion."

Jiang Fenghua paused for a moment, then said, "This is something that I, as the Princess Consort, should handle. Your Highness need not thank me."

After saying that, she turned and left without a trace of regret.

Xie Shang clenched his fist and hid it in his sleeve. "I still have official business to attend to. Go to the study."

In the dimly lit study, a tiny lamp wick burned, plunging the room into darkness. Xie Shang sat languidly on a soft couch, his eyes flashing with a chilling, bone-piercing light. He exuded an aura of coldness, and his voice was deep and cold: "Have you found out who instigated the people spreading rumors in the city today?"

"This humble servant is incompetent and has not yet found out." The person kneeling on the ground was dressed in a black outfit. His figure did not appear in the light and shadow. He respectfully lowered his head, making it seem as if no one was there at all.

A faint voice came from behind: "The other side did not leave any clues, but I am certain that it was a woman who spread the news. They must know how to disguise themselves."

Xie Shang couldn't understand the other party's purpose in spreading these rumors, so he decided to play along and use this opportunity to spread these rumors into the palace so that the emperor and empress would know about them.

The Emperor will surely be furious if he knows what he did outside the palace...

He said calmly, "Step down."

After the shadowy figure left, Xie Shang extinguished the lamp wick, straightened her brocade robe, and stepped out of the study. Recalling Jiang Fenghua's words just now, her expression remained calm and indifferent, as if an insurmountable chasm had formed between them the moment Su Tingwan entered the mansion.

I still remember how she cried her heart out in his arms the day before, but today when she appeared outside the Prince's Mansion, she was calm and dignified, neither humble nor arrogant, and she intimidated those people with just a few words.

The bright moon shone in the sky. In the dark night, he stood tall and elegant under the eaves, his posture as upright as a pine tree and his gait as calm as the wind. He walked towards the Sandalwood Courtyard without hesitation.

Su Tingwan hadn't left the Sandalwood Courtyard since she was sent there. Granny Wang had sent people to guard the entrance, so she was under constant surveillance. She simply stopped going out until Xie Shang appeared in the courtyard of the Sandalwood Courtyard.

Xie Shang strode in and said to the people guarding the door, "Are you treating my concubine like a prisoner? Get out of the way."

The two men quickly stepped back and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Highness, please calm your anger."

Su Tingwan opened the door and rushed into Xie Shang's arms. "A Shang, I've finally seen you. They wouldn't let me go to see you."

Xie Shang affectionately patted her head. "Here I am, aren't I?"

She pulled Xie Shang into the house, slammed the door shut, and bolted it shut.

Manager Li and Manager Zhang, who were guarding the door, were dumbfounded when they saw this scene. They looked at each other and couldn't say a word. This was not the behavior of a well-bred lady. She was so impatient.

Inside the room, Su Tingwan's face turned bright red, her shy demeanor conveying a clear message: "Will A Shang stay with me tonight?"

Xie Shang didn't recognize Su Tingwan at all; in his memory, she always rejected him.

His body stiffened slightly, his clenched knuckles gradually turning white before relaxing, as if trying to erase the image of that peerless face from his mind. He nodded, "Yes, tonight is our wedding night."

"Wanwan..." He cupped her face and kissed her passionately until her soft, panting breaths led him to the bed.

He didn't know why, but no matter how much he kissed her, he couldn't get into the next state.

She lay passively on the bed, as if she was ready and waiting for him to conquer her, but he never made his next move.

Su Tingwan also noticed something was wrong and took the initiative to kiss him back, but he still wasn't in the mood.

She was annoyed; why didn't he take off her clothes?

Although they liked each other before, they never did anything that violated the proper boundaries between men and women. She was very self-respecting and he was also self-disciplined and dignified.

Su Tingwan wasn't raised in a sheltered environment, so although she hadn't experienced this kind of thing herself, she had seen it all because there were too many concubines in the household and her father was too philandering.

Overwhelmed by emotion, her body trembled involuntarily, and she murmured softly, "Ah Shang..."

Just then, there was a rapid knocking at the door. "Your Highness, something terrible has happened at the yamen! You must come immediately!"

Xie Shang was instantly jolted awake and asked in a deep voice, "What is it?"

Lin Feng anxiously said from outside, "A murder has occurred. The deceased is none other than Yang Jing, the Minister of Justice. People from the yamen have arrived and are waiting in the front hall. Your Highness is now the Prefect of the Capital... We cannot refuse to go."

Lin Feng had seen Su Tingwan and the prince interact. Before they were officially together, she was carefree and well-behaved, but later, she would hug, kiss, and peck at him all the time, which he couldn't bear to watch.

Xie Shang is now the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture. He will definitely be present to preside over a major murder case in Shengjing, especially since the deceased is a high-ranking official of the second rank. Who would have the guts and ability to kill the Minister of Justice?

He sat up and began to straighten his robes. "Go out and inform them that I will be there immediately."

A moment later, Xie Shang was dressed and about to leave when Su Tingwan's eyes flashed with annoyance, "Is it absolutely necessary to go tonight?"

Xie Shang comforted him gently, "Wait for me to return." After saying that, he turned and left the bedroom.

Su Tingwan's clothes were disheveled, and she hadn't even untied her belt. Her eyes were full of disappointment. No matter what, tonight was their wedding night, and she had been looking forward to it for a long time.